Godric Manchester
The Golden Liar Age: 33 DOB and Place of Birth: April 4th in Sprohm, Edwin Gender: Male Race: Felidae/Burmese Cat Occupation: King of Edwin Favorite Color: Blue Favorite Food: Fish Sexual Orientation: Bisexual Relationship Status: Available Musical Abilities: Can play the piano and read music with great skill Magical Abilities: Moderately skilled with the elements of Wind and Fire Religious Ideology: Godric puts up a front of believing in Midas because it’s good for publicity, but personally, he doesn’t believe in any sort of being. We’re only on the planet for a short time, so do what you can in the time you’re given, is his philosophy. Appearance Godric is a handsome, golden Burmese Cat with emerald eyes, a voice that could charm the birds from the trees and a smile that has melted many a cold heart. In the range of 5’10”, his weight is average and his build wiry. He has no great physical strength, but is quite agile and is proficient with a number of small blades, both throwing and in-paw. He’s also a dab paw with archery, but it’s not something he’s passionate about, more a hobby so as to be able to hunt properly with other nobles. His fur is typically well groomed, though he has longer, curly fur that most Burmese Cats lack, which causes him some grief after baths. He has his proper royal attire for important occasions, but in the main, he wears fine tunics with white shirts beneath, and hose with black buckle shoes, a golden circlet crown set with rubies and a few choice rings. Occasionally, he accompanies this lot with a cape or coat. Personality Charismatic, clever, ambitious and witty, it’s hard to hate Godric for who he is, even if you don’t like his policies. Those who have met him, even those who have suffered in his short rule profess that he is a delightful fellow that they would like to have over to dinner some time. He’s also a loyal sort of fellow if you truly gain his trust. He keeps his senile mother close and lavishes her with everything she could want, including his attentions, which she seems to enjoy most. Additionally, those friends who helped him make his way to the top have received excellent positions in his Court in payment. He keeps up good relations, also with the local gentry that helped him take his first tentative steps into Society. Kinder than most Edwinian nobles, Godric is still considered a demon by those outside of the Kingdom as he’s instituted heavy tariffs on imports and has limited the number of immigrants, specifically ‘those wretched mustilidaes from Gawain’. The acts come at the advice of his chief advisor and are more for the benefit of his popularity than for economical reasons. Godric doesn’t have anything against mustilidaes personally, but he knows that most of the Edwinish population do, so he has to bow to popular opinion. Biography There is some question as to the actual history of the new king, but according to the propaganda that was being put out before and during his reign, King Manchester is the descendant of Saphirra, the mortal Burmese Cat who supposedly mated with Midas when he appeared once on Feila. This lineage supports Manchester’s rise to the throne as he is taking the place his many greats grandsire would have wished. Manchester’s royal connections are a bit shady, though, as the Manchester side of the family is rather obscure and no one in proper society has ever invited them to tea. They’re the black sheep of the aristocracy, distantly related to the former king through a mother’s second-cousin’s uncle’s first-cousin-one-removed’s husband or something ridiculous like that. Anyway, Manchester did succeed the late King Lionheart after an illness destroyed him, claiming the fact that the King had no children opened the door for the most legitimate heir, a.k.a. himself, the child of Midas. The real story of who Manchester is, is by far more intriguing and the stuff of dinner party speculation when gossip is slow. Basil ‘Not-Important-Enough-for-a-Last-Name’ was born into slavery in Sprohm, Edwin. His mother, Joan was the Burmese slave girl of a Persian noble who had bought her from her husband when he was in desperate need of money. The noble, one Lord Erik Roger, liked the girl’s golden-blonde fur and paid a hefty sum for her and the child forming in her middle region. So Basil was born and as soon as he was able, he was put to work cleaning, etc. Things went on as such for two years when Lord Roger became ill and died suddenly. Basil and his mother (who had contracted whatever Lord Roger had had) were transported to Newcastle in north-west Edwin where they were given to the Manchester family, as per Lord Roger’s will. The Manchester’s, however, had no idea what to do with the slaves that had been dumped on their doorstep, one on the verge of death and the other no more than a toddler, looking to be around the same age as their own son. They had more than enough servants, but they felt to turn the pair out would be certain death, so uncharacteristic of most of the Edwinian nobles, the Manchesters took them in. The mother died on the night she was brought and the little golden furred child cried as if his heart had been shattered. Feeling for the child, Lady Amelia Manchester comforted him while her husband, Lord Henry Manchester hovered worriedly in the background. The servants were woken and asked to remove the body from the living room where it lay. As they attempted to do so, grimacing, the little Burmese child clutched at the body and kept moaning “Mommy, Mommy…” Lady Manchester pulled him away, though and held him until he fell into a fitful sleep. The next day, they buried the nameless slave, the one who had delivered the pair not even bothering to give their information to the Manchesters. They tried to learn the name from the little boy, but quickly found he could barely speak, knowing only “Yes’m”, “No’m”, “Yessir”, “No sir”, “Come boy”, and “Mommy”. Sending him off to play with their son, Godric, the Manchesters discussed what was to be done. Lord Henry suggested the orphanage, but quailed under the fierce glare of his wife. It was decided that Jordan, as they decided to call him, would be Godric’s playmate and personal servant. He would need to be educated, of course, to make a proper playmate for a noble, but that wouldn’t be a problem. Once he was caught up to a respectable level, he could be tutored along with Godric. A few months passed and Jordan was sitting in on Godric’s lessons. The golden cat was extremely bright and learned faster than even “the young master”, as he referred to Godric, though he had a stuttering problem that persisted well into his twenties. Jordan and Godric got on well together, acting more like brothers most of the time rather than master and slave. Lord and Lady Manchester did not remark on this, just glad that their son, who had been having sociability problems, was opening up. He wasn’t as intelligent as they had hoped, but he wasn’t stupid, just…average. Months, then years passed and Jordan became like a second son to the Manchesters and on his 21st birthday, when most Edwinish nobility comes of age, Lord Manchester asked if Jordan would take Manchester as his own surname. Crying with joy, Jordan stuttered “Yes!” and that was that. No official documents were drafted and since the family was positioned in the ‘boondocks’ by Society’s standards, it wasn’t any great announcement, but it was important to Jordan and the Manchesters. A few more years passed and Godric became sick with something that was plaguing the small town. He died after a few weeks of struggle and Lord and Lady Manchester were devastated. Jordan too felt great sadness, but he felt that if he could survive the death of his mother, then he could survive the death of his brother. The golden tom was the one who had to call for the servants to take the body out after he’d wrapped it in a sheet. There was a quiet burial in the family cemetery and nothing more was said for a week. Walking down to breakfast one morning, though, Lady Manchester greeted him saying, “Good morning, Godric, how would you like your eggs? I asked Lisa to spare no expense this morning with the spread, what with my kitten’s birthday!” “Mother,” Jordan began nervously, “G-Godric is dead. I’m Jordan.” “Oh, dear, that’s not funny,” the female admonished. “Dear Jordan died and you’re playing at being him. That’s dreadful. I miss him so much.” A few tears formed in the Burmese’s eyes. “But you m-miss Godric m-more,” he whispered. It turned out Lord Manchester had committed suicide during the night and it was the breaking point for the shattered nerves of the noble lady cat. Lord Manchester was buried and Lady Manchester cried on ‘Godric’s’ shoulder. A few weeks passed and his adopted mother did not return to reality. No matter how he tried to dissuade her, she maintained that he was Godric. It came as a sort of creeping realization, silently moving closer so as not to offend his sensibilities that he could pretend to be Godric. No, he would be Godric. He would make this broken woman’s fantasy a reality and in the process earn himself a title of nobility. A lowly slave boy becoming a true member of Society and fooling every noble in the Court because they had never seen him or the real Godric and knew only that the son of Lord Manchester had been killed, but not which son. Despite himself, Jordan realized the opportunities that would open up for him. The servants were paid well and dismissed with sums in their pockets enough to have them set for life. The tombstone out back was replaced with one that read ‘Jordan Manchester, R.I.P’, they moved to the summer house in Nottingham and Lord Godric Manchester hired a new staff. Godric worked his way slowly into Society, starting with the local gentry. They found him charismatic, quick witted and genteel, so unlike the rest of those Manchesters! Not only that, but he was quite the looker where Lord Henry had been a boar. It had to be his mother’s looks, but poor lady, a bit dotty in her old age. Eventually, ‘Godric’ fulfilled his ambitions with the help of a genius tabby cat, Aldric Dawson, he found tucked away in a library. The tabby helped the golden liar extend his influence and began the rumor that he was the child of Midas. His name became common in the papers and everyone learned of the munificent and intelligent noble from the north. As King Lionheart declined, there was a call for Lord Godric to take the crown. He accepted it readily, taking Aldric and his ‘mother’ to the Astrel Palace to be made ruler of Edwin. References * Godric's Character Sheet on the Feila Forums * The Feilan Royalties Page on Feila Universe category:Characters